What is a Tree?
A tree is a large, woody, long lived and shedding organism.
Trees produce food from sunlight hitting their leaves (photosynthesis). This
food is then transported through the branches and the roots where it is burned
up in the same way we use food (respiration). Underneath the ground a tree has
large woody roots which spread out. These roots are merely underground
branches. At the end of these roots are small absorbing (non woody) roots.
These absorbing roots, often little more than fine hairs, take up water and
nutrients. When something goes wrong or alters quickly around your tree, the
tree goes into "stress". Often this stress is not even visible, but
frequently it will require the use of large amounts of stored energy. Stress is
reversible. However, when stress occurs for extended periods of time or is
extreme, your tree is damaged permanently (strained). Strain also uses large
amounts of energy, but because the injury is permanent the use of energy may
extend for many, many years.
Significance of Tree:
Trees are natures air conditioners. In one year the average
tree inhales 26 pounds of carbon dioxide, the amount emitted by a car on an
11,000 mile trip. This same tree will in turn exhale enough oxygen to keep a
family of 4 breathing for a year. Your trees treat the carbon dioxide they take
in. The foliage uses the carbon in the gas to make sugars and starches. The
leftover oxygen is released back into the air. We could not sit here today and
breathe the clean air we are breathing without our trees. Trees are the
greatest collectors of the suns energy. All energy comes from the sun and our
trees collect and store more of it than anything else in the world. The
benefits of trees can be divided into two general areas. Direct benefits, such
as cool from shade or increased property value and indirect benefits. Indirect
benefits impact you, the tree owner and the community in real, but less
tangible ways. In fact, indirect benefits from trees are more numerous than
direct benefits. These benefits include filtration and absorption of air
pollutants, reduced storm water run off, storing of the greenhouse gas carbon
dioxide and beneficial impact on the general quality of life. Perhaps the
greatest contribution our trees make is an emotional one. People who live in
cities brighten up at the site of a tree, the scrawniest saplings challenging
the concrete. Silently in our minds they rise as symbols of stability, dignity,
adventure, comfort and knowledge. Maybe we should stop for a moment and wonder
how many trees will be left for our children and grandchildren. As someone once
said "Your family, your friends, your trees you take for granted you will
always have these until you don't!
Let us share some thoughts with you. The miracle of
trees.... they give us shade, beauty, the air we breathe. If we let them they
could save our environment. Life without them is impossible, a day without
seeing one is unimaginable. They give us shelter, air and tranquillity.
Celebrate the miracle of trees. A people without children would face a hopeless
future, a country with out trees is almost as hopeless. Trees can reduce the
heat of a summers day, quiet a highways noise, feed the hungry, provide shelter
from the wind and warmth in winter. Trees are the oldest living thing on earth
and as such they have immense value.
Why to protect Tree?
Unlike people, your trees don't heal. When a person is hurt
they generate new tissue to fix or repair the problem. Trees on the other hand,
simply produce new tissue that goes over the top. These giants are little trees
that have grown a new tree on the outside every year it's been alive. Whatever damage
we do to that tree stays there. Like people trees have a protective skin on the
outside called bark. Just like with skin, bark helps keep bad things out and
good things in. Your trees also have a structure for mechanical support just
like we have muscles and bones. This structure is wood. It is more flexible
than bone but less flexible than muscle. Trees also store food and other
important things in wood. Trees don't get fat, but sometimes they can grow too
fast. Trees can and often do die of starvation and trees can suffocate. When we
damage the bark or the wood, the tree is being seriously hurt. Because the tree
cannot heal, these injuries are permanent and often cause problems for many
years. For this reason it is very important that we take care of the things
that we do to and around our trees. A simple thing like a clip with a whipper
snipper or even over watering the grass can have permanent and irreversible
consequences on your tree.
How to Protect Tree?
A tree, when in it's most natural state would require little
- if any specific care. But when taken from this environment or when the area
is altered, we become the trees "mother nature". There are many
things which can restrict the needs of our trees. Frequently we choose trees
which are best suited to other environments or we change the environment around
our tree by altering soil levels, laying turf, removing other plants and even
over watering We build our homes near trees because we want to reap the
benefits they have for us. Sometimes during building we cut roots to lay slabs.
We change the surface of the land to make it level and strip off vital topsoil.
Over many years we have altered natural drainage and placed gutters and pipes
to pour rain water into the ocean and not back into the land where it is so
desperately needed. We use harsh fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides, we
overgraze land. When we do these things our trees can't simply get up and
leave. Young, healthy trees may adapt but older ones simply hurt. We can help
our trees by making the environment as close as possible to ideal conditions.
Unfortunately this is seldom possible or practical. For this reason healthy
trees often require specialized care at least once a year.
There are several good reasons:
* We first deal with many tree problems after they have
taken a number of years to develop. A one treatment solution, whilst often
dealing with immediate concerns, seldom resolves the problem.
* We plant trees in environments that are seldom natural or
conducive to good health. In fact, the environment is often quite hostile
towards trees. We therefore need to supplement many things to help the trees
grow their best.
* Often we forget that trees are living things and they are
growing constantly all year round. We forget the influence of such things as
extended dry periods, poor percolation rates and so on. In fact, if our trees
were animals many of us would spend time at "Her Majesty's" for
extended and repeated cruelty.
Too good post. Totally clear and worthy issue you have written. We have to spare trees for our future. Every single living thing relies upon trees directly or indirectly. Without trees the world will be devastated. Very helpful teach to the students. Good luck for your hard work.
ReplyDeleteRegards,
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